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Ong'ondo Were joins list of MPs killed gangland style
Kasipul MP Ong'ondo Were speaks at the funeral of former national chairman of Universities Academic Staff Union Muga K'Olale at Agoro Sare Primary School in Rachuonyo South on April 21, 2023.
The murder of Kasipul MP Charles Ong'ondo Were has sent shockwaves across Kenya, reigniting memories of past political killings. Mr Were, a second-term legislator was gunned down on the evening of April 30 in a targeted attack on Ngong Road in Nairobi.
According to police reports, assailants on a motorcycle approached his vehicle and opened fire, fatally wounding him.
This tragic incident adds to a grim list of Kenyan Members of Parliament who have been murdered while serving in office. Below, we revisit eight such cases, examining the circumstances of their deaths.
Pio Gama Pinto.
Pio Gama Pinto (specially elected member of the House of Representatives)
The 37-year-old father of three drove out of his house in Parklands on February 24, 1965 with his daughter but before he could leave his driveway, he was shot dead by two men.
Kisilu Mutua, the man accused of killing Pio Gama Pinto, spent 36 years behind bars but still maintained his innocence in the Pinto murder. He died aged 79 in 2023.
During the Mau Mau uprising, Pinto was actively involved in sourcing weapons for the movement. He was instrumental in organising legal representation for the Kapenguria Six—Jomo Kenyatta, Achieng Oneko, Kung’u Karumba, Bildad Kaggia, Paul Ngei and Fred Kubai.
His political activism resulted in his arrest and detention in 1954, making him one of the few non-Africans to be imprisoned during the State of Emergency.
Tom Mboya.
Tom Mboya (Nairobi Central MP)
He was shot dead by Isaac Nahashon Njenga Njoroge on July 5, 1969 along Government Road (current Moi Avenue) as he was leaving a chemist shop.
He was 39 years old at the time and serving as Minister for Economic Planning and Development and MP for Nairobi Central (now Kamukunji Constituency).
Nahashon Njenga was sentenced to death and hanged on the morning of November 8, 1969.
The late politician Josiah Mwangi (JM) Kariuki.
JM Kariuki (Nyandarua North MP)
His body was found on March 2, 1975 in Ngong forest by a young herder. His eyes were gouged out and face was burnt with acid.
His murder remains unsolved 50 years later. The young boy, Musaite ole Tunta who found his remains, died in 2023 and was among the last few witnesses.
Multiple attempts to investigate the murder have yielded no results, with a report by the parliamentary select committee—which had outlined key leads for future inquiries—ending up shelved in the parliamentary library and archives.
The late former cabinet minister Robert Ouko.
Robert Ouko (Kisumu Town MP)
His death is one of the most intriguing and remains unsolved to date. His charred remains were found on February 13, 1990 in Koru, Muhoroni.
At the time of his death, he was the serving Foreign Affairs Minister.
President Daniel arap Moi established a commission of inquiry into the murder, chaired by Justice Evans Gicheru. Over the course of 13 months, the commission held nearly 250 sessions and recorded testimonies from 176 witnesses.
Notable individuals named as suspects included Industry Minister Nicholas Biwott; Hezekiah Oyugi, the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the President; and Jonah Anguka, then Nakuru District Commissioner.
President Moi eventually dissolved the commission, claiming that witnesses were spreading unfounded rumours.
Tony Ndilinge (Kilome MP)
He was just 47 when he was shot outside a bar in Githurai on August 1, 2001. Prior to his death, Mr Ndilinge had complained to Parliament and the police that his life was in danger and that he was being followed.
The lawmaker who had been representing the people of Kilome from 1992 was shot twice in the head. The perpetrators are still unknown.
He had been labelled a rebel by the ruling Kenya African National Union (Kanu) party for his criticism of the government that cost him his position as an assistant minister in 1999.
He had, however, reaffirmed his allegiance to then President Daniel arap Moi and campaigned actively for the party during a by-election just a week before he was killed.
Former Embakasi MP Melitus Mugabe Were, who was killed by gunmen in Woodley Estate, Nairobi, on January 29, 2008.
Melitus Mugabe Were (Embakasi MP)
He was shot outside his home in Woodley Estate, Nairobi on January 29, 2008. James Omondi alias Castro, Wycliffe Walimbwa Simiyu alias Zimbo and Paul Otieno alias Baba were all sentenced to death in 2015 for his murder.
On the fateful day, Mr Were left his home in the morning for Parliament buildings where he stayed until 1pm then left for an ODM meeting at Orange House.
He later left for a club on Lenana Road to meet a lady who wanted to sell him a car. At 11pm, he dropped the lady at her house in Imara Daima estate and headed to his home alone. It was then that the killers struck at the gate before the watchman opened it for him.
Mr Were’s widow testified that she heard three gunshots and when she came out, she found him lying next to the car and took him to Nairobi Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
David Kimutai Too (Ainamoi MP)
He was shot dead outside the West Indies Hotel in Eldoret on January 31, 2008. A female police officer, Eunice Chepkwony, who was accompanying him was also killed. The perpetrator was traffic police officer Andrew Maoche who was convicted of manslaughter in 2009.
The motive of the killing was alleged to be a love triangle as it emerged in court that Mr Kimutai and Ms Chepkwony were in a relationship. However, Ms Chepkwony was also in a relationship with Mr Maoche and on the fateful day, he followed the two to the hotel and shot them dead.
Mr Maoche claimed he acted in self-defence, alleging that Mr Kimutai wanted to shoot him and that Ms Chepkwony also had her gun, and this provoked him into taking action.
Court documents show that Ms Chepkwony did not fire from her gun during the incident.
Former Kabete MP George Muchai who was assassinated on a Nairobi street in 2015.
George Muchai (Kabete MP)
Mr Muchai was shot on Kenyatta Avenue as his car slowed down before approaching a roundabout.
His driver and two bodyguards were also tragically killed in the incident.
With the case still in court, prosecution witnesses have testified that the car carrying the prime suspect in the murder rammed into Mr Muchai’s car before the suspect stepped out wearing a balaclava mask with his gun concealed in his jacket.
He then approached the car and shot all four occupants and then shot them all again a second time. All four died on the spot.
There are currently seven suspects facing charges of robbery with violence and murder at the High Court in Nairobi.